Bad day, bad night for the Rangers

This really isn’t going to be easy in any way, is it? Not for the Canadiens. Not for the Baby Buffaloes. Not for the Hurricanes. And certainly not for the Rangers.

These teams all seem to win every time they have to win.

As you know, Montreal defeated Chicago in OT last night, and the Baby Buffaloes beat Tampa Bay, and the Rangers — after learning they’ve lost their leader, their soul — fell all the way back down to eighth.

The Magic Number remains at 3.

Tonight the Hurricanes play at home against Detroit in the only game relevant to the four-team chase for three spots. Want to bet the Canes win and force the Rangers to win both of their games to get in?

And, given the way it has gone, and given the way the Rangers have responded this season, they probably will win both if they have to win them.

I was talking to Sean Mayer — who, by the way, I want to thank for pinch-hitting on the Ryan Callahan news yesterday while I was unavailable — and came to the realization that losing a key player isn’t necessarily fatal in the playoffs. In fact, teams often rally around the adversity.

Some quick examples, and if you can think of others, please share:

1991-92: Adam Graves breaks Mario Lemieux’s hand in the second round. The Penguins fall behind the Rangers two games to one. And they rally to win that series and the next and, after Mario makes an early return, the Stanley Cup, not losing another game along the way.

1992-93: Dale Hunter cheap-shots Pierre Turgeon out of the playoffs in the first round. The depleted Islanders go on to shock the two-time defending champ Penguins without Turgeon before losing in the Eastern Conference final.

2000-01: Colorado’s Peter Forsberg’s spleen ruptures, requiring emergency surgery at the end of the second round. The Avalanche go on to win the Stanley Cup without Forsberg.

Good morning all! While I’m interested to see what Carolina does against Detroit, I won’t be holding my breath over the result. Our fate is in our hands and there’s no doubt in my mind that we win tomorrow night. Our will to win will not be denied!

Score board watching? I hope it isn’t their mindset. They should think about it this way: we are asked to take 3 points in two games against two bottom feeders. If we can’t do it, maybe we shouldn’t be in the playoffs.

And don’t tell me the Devils will play like it’s game 7. Of course they will. But once (*and if*) they are in the playoffs, what do you think everyone will play like? Believe in your team, folks, they did enough this year for us to do just that.

The Rangers rallied midseason when Calahan was out. It seemed then that Boyle really stepped up. He will need to again. I’m just miserable about Calahan’s injury because I just wanted to see him get to play in the playoffs. He would’ve stepped up his game even higher. Now (if we make the playoffs, it is still not a given) we won’t get that chance. Sucks for us, and him.

Sure it sucks the way the scores turned out last night, but ultimately, I don’t mind finishing 8th, especially if it means playing Washington. I don’t doubt the Rangers ability to get 3 points against ATL and NJD

Alex – exactly. This team seemingly responds real well to its key players going down. They did it with Gaborik, and then the one-two of Callahan and Dubinsky. Remember in January, when it seemed half the lineup was AHLers? Everyone is going to need to step up, and a few guys are going to get chances they didn’t have last week. It’ll be a real test for the team’s resilience.

By the way…How long is Cally out for anyway? I heard somewhere that it would be to the third round, if the Rangers get that far. Any truth to that?

Manny- even if Carolina wins all three games, the Rangers may still get in by winning just one in regulation/OT. I hope it doesn’t come down to this, but in that case scenario Carlina has to not only win all three, but win at least two of them in regulation/OT.

ilb – I really think that this team will be OK. I think Carolina is not going to win out. I am just pointing out that I believe we have won 4 in a row ONCE. This would have to be our second winning streak. That Concerns the Cathy in me.

Someone said it yesterday – can you imagine when Captain Callahan steps on the ice on crutches to accept the Steven A. McDonald Award? The roof is going to blow off the garden like when the holding tank explodes in Ghostbusters.

Venkman: “Everything was fine until di#$less here shut off the power.”
Mayor: “Is that true?”
Venkman: “Yes, it’s true. This man has no di#$.”

if you still around, here is more of what my cousin wrote regarding hockey in Israel:

“Yea they are paid channels unless you have your standard dish receiver which will get hockey. Hockey though is getting larger and larger every year in Israel. And the teams there are actually really good. Thank you Russians for coming to Israel and bringing Hockey there!

Is your buddy going to watch the Sharks kill this time around or watch the Rangers flop?”

The kid was born in Israel (he’s 28 now) and he thinks he knows hockey lol

He’s a Sharks fan…don’t ask me why because i have no idea! I don’t think he knows it either!

Manyfried – This is the way I see it: Philly has enjoyed having one of the leagues best(and dirtiest) defensemen/pointmen all season and last season. Without him, their biggest weakness –an utter lack of goaltending –is glaringly exposed. The team is all about overpowering the opposition with offense and then having Pronger save the day on defense. The guy was playing something like 30 minutes a game before he went down. Without him, the Flyers are garbage.

Dudley/Hammerhand – The Wings are my surrogate Rangers tonight. Hell, I might even have a plate of wings in their honor.

2007-08: Already down 2-0 to the Penguins, New York’s Sean Avery suffers a lacerated spleen but finishes the game, which the Rangers lose. Without their loveable antagonist, the Rangers cannot climb out of the 3-0 series hole and are eliminated. With Avery, the Rangers would have won that series and the Stanley Cup.

Phil – Thanks – that’s awesome analysis. They do stink. I think I hate that team more than any other team. I am getting angry just typing this. They are dirty and they wear tinted visors and they never take them off when they fight. I hate that.

I thought from the description there was another 5,000Penalty Minute Senators debacle.

Someone with Twitter reply to Brooks that since 03-04, the Eastern team that competed for the Stanley Cup for was top 2 in shots blocked per game in the playoffs among teams that escaped the first round and that he is a moron for questioning the value of blocking shots.

I was busy yesterday so I couldn’t post, but that Boston game was the highlight of the season. As for Callahan’s ankle, when he went down, he got up and stayed in the play for another 11 seconds to avoid what happened with McDonagh on Sunday. He’s a true warrior.

That said, this team is in a lot of trouble. Gaborik will not be a good fit with Dubinsky and Anisimov.

(Although I would absolutely give Avery a few early shifts with Dubinsky and see if anything clicks. Not too much to lose at this point. Except a playoff berth if something goes terribly wrong in those early shifts.)

I love how hard this team plays, but there is a lot of truth in Larry Brook’s point that very skilled, big-time teams win handily without sacrificing the body. Probably the reason none of us have a favorite player whose main skill is blocking shots. It’s the refuge of the overwhelmed.

CCCP,
Yeah, I’m still here, will leave in few hours. I’m just 15 min. from JFK.
Thanks for your up write. At least I know it exist, so, I will figure out the rest.
As they say in the Middle East: Down with Atlanta and Death to Devils! LGR!!!

Look – we Ranger fans know that if the Vezina was given out for the last 1/3 of the season then Hank would get it NO DOUBT. We should just make a Vezina and present it to Hank or his twin brother. We can build it out of broken computer parts from computers broken during the mid-season skid.

Interesting stuff on the teams that overcame an injury. Agree that the Islanders run to the conference finals was miraculous, but it should be noted that the Avalanche also had Sakic, Tanguay, Hejduk (and Drury!), along with Bourque, Blake and Foote on D (and Patrick Roy).

And the Pens had stud goal scorers (at least back then) Kevin Stevens and Joey Mullen, burgeoning star Jagr, Ron Francis, and Larry Murphy anchoring the D. The most amazing part about that PIT team is Barrasso had a 3.53 GAA in the regular season.

well, I’m glad the rangers proved me wrong once again when I posted there done when they were down 2-0 against Boston. After I posted that I decided to do my laundry and I didn’t watch the game until I went on the computer and checked the score on espn to see the rangers winning 4-3. I than turned it back on and at that moment watched Stepan score the empty net goal. I couldn’t believe it. I was starting to believe in this team until the next day I heard callahan broke his ankle. I went from feeling on top of the world to the end of the world. I don’t think it matters much anyway. I didn’t expect the rangers to make the playoffs and if they did I didn’t expect them to go deep in to the playoffs.

goalies nowadays have much better equipment and also bigger pads. goalies stats back in the 80’s and 90’s werent as good as they are now. also, there were less teams, so there were better players filling out the rosters. not as many holwegs

sickening that those moron fans in Mtl made the call on a penalty in OT that gave them a playoff spot, and really hurt the Hawks chances. look at the replay, Toews never touched the feet or legs of that showboat punk Slewban. he just fell because he was turning and off balance, and was nudged by Toews stick at waist height, and only AFTER the crowd made a bunch of noise, after several seconds had gone by, then and only belatedly then did the ref raise his arm and call it a penalty. this is why I hope those stinkin Habs are eliminated quick in round 1 and get nowhere next season. those lousy idiots in the stands there deserve nothing less.

“1991-92: Adam Graves breaks Mario Lemieux’s hand in the second round. The Penguins fall behind the Rangers two games to one. And they rally to win that series and the next and, after Mario makes an early return, the Stanley Cup, not losing another game along the way.

2000-01: Colorado’s Peter Forsberg’s spleen ruptures, requiring emergency surgery at the end of the second round. The Avalanche go on to win the Stanley Cup without Forsberg.”

drury will help better than a newbury or zuccarello. the guy plays better in playoffs and high pressure situations. i dont think he’ll help our scoring, but he will be great for faceoffs, shotblocking and “the little things”, we all love him for.

Going into this year the playoffs were a stretch. I didn’t making or not making the playoffs was going to be the yardstick of success, because honestly I thought for the sake of development this year’s team was worse than last year’s. However, look at what the team has had to deal with:

~ The leading scorer and best skater on the team would miss 20 games and only put up half his goals and points totals from last year

~ The player 2nd in points on the team last year would miss the first 50 games of the season

~ A player who was counted on to provide upwards of 25 goals would get not nearly that amount and then go out for the season halfway through the year

~ The best all around forward on the team would miss 20 games during the middle of the season

~ The pleasant surprise defenseman from last year would suffer a terrible sophomore slump and eventually get demoted

It will be disappointing if they lose out the next couple of games, I can’t deny that. However, there was very little in the way of highly skilled or established talent on this team (the latter is by design). No matter the end results, I’d trade this season for a team like the Devils who was supposed to contend or a team like the Leafs who seem to have no plan, several times over.

Thinking about it – I think we should sign Joel Lundqvist – is there a rule that allows two players to wear the same number? Then we could confuse other teams. They would never know which Lundqvist was in goal – the good one or the other one. This might lead to panic and terror in the other team and a lot of easy starts for the Rangers.

both teams goalies are an issue, but the caps are playing much better defensively and with our lack of scoring, the caps dont need an all star goalie. maybe agianst a better team. not us. if philly goes back to boucher and sticks with him, or even leighton if he is still there and healthy enough, they have proven before they can overcome that. but yea, i’d take philly over the caps right now definitely

Flyers without Pronger are vulnerable. I still think they have too much firepower in all their lines for the Rangers to win a series.

The Caps have had trouble scoring most of the year and if Staal can contain Ovechkin then the Rangers have a great shot at winning. Backstrom is still a little banged up and if people thought Gaborik disappears for long stretches then Semin has been even worse since his hot start to the season. Plus the Caps don’t exactly have a premier shutdown defenseman.

Totally Gerry – All I ever heard about Gilroy was that he has Forward experience and can add to the offensive rush. Well I think it’s more valuable if he can add to the not-so-great forward line defense that plagues this team.

“Gilroy’s new linemate, Sean Avery, had a run-in with defenseman Mike Sauer during practice as Avery drove to the net and Sauer was strong in trying to keep Avery away from the crease. Sauer wound up dropping his stick and thinking he was going to fight but it never came to blows.”

and by torts, I mean when he first got here he really had avery on a leash and everyone knew it, since then I think he is not really on any different leash than anyone else, but he has been effectively changed by the sloppy seconds thing and the first part of the “angry” torts tenure!!

“Every low seeded team has to be wishing for Philly in the first round”

I for one disagree. With Pronger back the Flyers will be back to business as usual. It doesn’t matter if they don’t have an all star goalie if you can’t get to him, and the way their offense plays, they can dominate puck possession and chances easily against a weaker team.

Now, that’s not to say that the Rangers won’t beat them if they meet up in the first round!

Here is what the Ranger site says about the McDonald Extra Effort Award – and since I have tickets my wife is going to be super psyched.

“When you cast your vote, you will automatically be entered into a sweepstakes as well, with the Grand Prize winner receiving an autographed jersey from the player who is selected to receive the Steven McDonald Extra Effort Award, presented by Lightspeed Trading, during a ceremony prior to the Rangers’ April 7 game vs. Atlanta at The Garden!”

Carp Cally said he wanted to stay around the team and help out as much as he could . Can he go into the lockeroom during games even though hes not in uniform because that would be an awesome reminder to the team of what they need to do these next two games

CCCP, Pronger never hit the market. He was traded for by Philly, who then resigned him to a long term deal. An over 35 contract actually, that I’m sure they will regret when Pronger is 40, a shadow of himself, and a 5 million cap hit. And it will be that much worse when he’s 41 and 42.

coaches generally don’t even want injured players hanging around the room either because it just reminds the players that they don’t have someone important, and they don’t want it to psychologically become a crutch for them. “he’s not playing, oh woe is us” attitide has to be avoided

Andrew McDonald is a fantastic young defenseman. Radek Martinek is a reliable stay-at-home guy and they have promise with Ty Wishart. I really think people on this forum/other places just forget about Isles players.

TONIGHTS DET/CAROLINA GAME SHOULD BE FREE PREVIEW ON YOUR CABLE PROVIDER BECAUSE IF YOU HAVE TIME WARNER CABLEVISION DIRECT TV THEY ARE SHOWING A FREE PREVIEW OF THE MLB PACKAGE WHICH USUALLY SHARES THE SAME 14-15 CHANNELS WITH THE CENTER ICE PACKAGE.

CHECK IT OUT BONEHEADS. GO WINGS

will be at a dinner for work so no go for me tonight will be checking phone for score

And 4 generations, I disagree with you about their defensemen. I think McDonald projects to be Dan Girardi, at best (and I’m not a Dan Girardi guy), Martinek is just a throw-away third pair guy, and the same for Wishart.

We do not have one of the better defenses in the NHL (give us a few years), and I think out of those three guys, MAYBE McDonald cracks out lineup (in place of Eminger).

yeah, after 9 years of failure, of spinning wheels the same ol’ way, after hiring loads of hack coaches who were his buddies, the Ron Low types, he finally as a last resort decided to listen to reason and hire a coach who knew what he was doing, especially in the area of young players, and was an independent voice, and Torts and Gordie Clark get the lion’s share of credit for the youth infusion into the Rangers

Eh, there were some other busts from the 2003 draft too. Zherdev at 4, Nilsson at 15, Anthony Stewart at 25, Tambellini at 27, Eaves at 29, Belle at 30. A bunch of guys that turned into NHLers but nothing special like Bernier, Fehr and Pouliot.

Some late round gems from that draft were Moulson, Halak, Pavelski, Enstrom and Byfuglien.

I remember when Fox Sports NY (formerly Sportschannel) became MSG +, and all of a sudden Fischler was all over Rangers broadcasts. I wanted to break my TV. He is seriously like the senile old man grandfather that makes outlandish remarks at family functions and everyone just laughs and says “oh grandpa!”

What I’m saying is that Gaborik is only a 5 year commitment. Would you rather have Kovalchuk for his current deal? Over their overlapping time, Kovalchuk could be the better player but his deal runs on for a dozen years afterwards.

CTB: I know what you were saying. And yes, I’d rather have Kovalchuk’s deal. 6.67 million for a truly elite player through his prime? Yes, please. And since it’s an under 35 contract, he can just retire before those last 5 years kick in. It’s a $100 million contract. Big deal if he leaves $12 million over five years on the table.

The problem might be whether a team really gives him a chance on the NHL roster, especially after his entry level deal expires. And if he can’t make it on Carolina he probably can’t make it on most NHL teams.

Also, you can just demote him at that point if you want. $1 million in the minors is nothing. I bet he would retire rather than ride the buses at 38 for $1 after making $88 million in the 10 years prior.

Doodie, certainly Kovalchuk’s been the more durable of the two, age-wise there’s really no difference. If Gaborik was healthier throughout his career he could have commanded a 10+ year deal.

The question is how many more years does Kovalchuk have left? I think this year could be an anomaly in his production because of the Devils woes in the 1st half. But does he have many 40 and 40 seasons left, let alone another 50 goal year? This is his 10th year in the league, even without hardly any postseason wear and tear his prime production window could be narrower than wider.